• NYT:

    That solitary drive would also give shape to “Train to Pakistan,” Mr. Singh’s slim, seminal 1956 novel whose opening paragraphs contain one of its most unsettling lines: “The fact is, both sides killed.” An estimated one million people were killed during the partition, and more than 10 million fled their homes: Hindus and Sikhs pouring into India, Muslims heading in the other direction, to Pakistan. The novel tells the story of an uneventful border village that gets swept up in that violent storm.

    Now, in a new edition of the novel, Roli Books in New Delhi has paired his story with 66 unflinching black-and-white photographs of the Partition era, some never before published, by the American photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White. This new incarnation of “Train to Pakistan,” which Roli hopes to find international distributors for at the Frankfurt Book Fair next month, has given the book what its author happily calls “a new lease on life.” It has also given Mr. Singh, who at 91 has borne witness to several rounds of carnage in his country, an occasion once again to warn against forgetfulness.

    Here.

    in

  • NYT reviews American Hardcore. My review from a January showing at Sundance is Here.

    NYT:

    Musically hardcore was a repudiation of almost everything, from disco to the dilution of first-generation punk labeled new wave to, of course, the same high-flying and deeply loathed bands, like the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Journey, that the original punks also despised. Hardcore was more than noncommercial; it was anticommercial. No one in the movement made more than spare change, and many lived hand to mouth. Poverty was synonymous with purism.

    Directed by Paul Rachman, from a screenplay by Steven Blush based on his book “American Hardcore: A Tribal History,” the film, which is filled with grainy archival clips of hardcore performances, is a toned-down cinematic equivalent of the music: fast and loud, but not too loud. The movie scrambles to cover so much territory that there is room only for musical shards and slivers; few complete songs are heard, and no signature anthems stand out. These excerpts are spliced with pungent bits and pieces from dozens of interviews, the whole crisply edited into a rapid-fire history. If 9 out of 10 bands are groups almost no one ever heard of, the movie’s encyclopedic concept is touchingly thorough.

    Here.

    in ,

  • Washington Post:

    “We’re not going to speculate with you today about recommendations,” Baker announced at the session, hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

    Can the war in Iraq be won?

    “We’re not going to make any assessments today about what we think the status of the situation is in Iraq,” said Hamilton.

    Could they at least explain their definitions of success and failure in Iraq?

    “We’re not going to get into that today,” Baker replied.

    After more such probing, Hamilton became categorical. “We’ve made no judgment of any kind at this point about any aspect of policy with regard to Iraq.”

    A few minutes later, one of the organizers called out: “We have time for one or two more questions.”

    Here.

    in

  • Last words of death row inmates, from the Guardian:

    “Statement to what. State what. I am not guilty of the charge of capital murder. Steal me and my family’s money. My truth will always be my truth. There is no kin and no friend; no fear what you do to me. No kin to you undertaker. Murderer. [Portion of statement omitted due to profanity] Get my money. Give me my rights. Give me my rights. Give me my rights. Give me my life back.”

    Here.

    in

  • LA Times:

    I was still looking at the wounded man and blaming myself for not stopping to help. Other shoppers peered at him from a distance, sorrowful and compassionate, but did nothing.

    I went on to another grocery store, staying for about five minutes while shopping for tomatoes, onions and other vegetables. During that time, the man managed to sit up and wave to passing cars. No one stopped. Then, a white Volkswagen pulled up. A passenger stepped out with a gun, walked steadily to the wounded man and shot him three times. The car took off down a side road and vanished.

    No one did anything. No one lifted a finger. The only reaction came from a woman in the grocery store. In a low voice, she said, “My God, bless his soul.”

    I went home and didn’t dare tell my wife. I did not want to frighten her.

    Here.

    in

  • MySpace:

    My friends call me Jonah! I am Ex-Special Forces, a Martial Artist, & a musician. I have my own C.D. out titled Have Harp Will Travel. Check out my web-site for sound-bytes at HaveHarpWillTravel.com & loads of crazy pix! I live in Dansville, New York with my wife & huge Tibetan Mastiff dog, Tonru, & our tiny, black kitten Vas’ka. Love fantasy, adventure, action flicks, comic books, etc. My wife Anna is directly from Nikolaev, in the Ukraine, & is a fashion model.

    Here.

    in

  • Wooster Collective:

    STIKMAN Has just returned from a thousand mile journey across the state of New York and the province of Ontario. Along the way I spread hundreds of STIKMEN and STIKMAN paintings in the cities and towns that I encountered. In Toronto I installed a wide variety of artworks throughout 50 miles of streets and alleyways. I was lucky enough to have a chance encounter in a parking lot with the art prankster Istvan Kantor, the godfather of culture jamming and the founder of Neoism. He was painting one hundred works an hour for seven hours so I was able watch him work his magic and pick up some paintings and do a little collaborating.( the last photo is of two of the paintings that were painted that day by Istvan)

    Here.

    in

  • Guardian:

    Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday accused the Pope of committing the world’s biggest Christian church to what he claimed was a “crusade” launched by President Bush against Islam.
    The Iranian leader’s words represented a setback to more than 25 years of Vatican diplomacy aimed at distancing Roman Catholicism from the west many Muslims regard as hostile and decadent. In his first comment on remarks on Islam made by Pope Benedict last week, the Ayatollah said they formed “the latest link in the chain of a crusade against Islam started by America’s Bush”.

    Here.

    in

  • Washington Post:

    “It has been reported,” said Fox, that “your grandfather Felix, whom you were given your middle name for, was Jewish. Could you please tell us whether your forebears include Jews and, if so, at which point Jewish identity might have ended?”

    Allen recoiled as if he had been struck. His supporters in the audience booed and hissed. “To be getting into what religion my mother is, I don’t think is relevant,” Allen said, furiously. “Why is that relevant — my religion, Jim’s religion or the religious beliefs of anyone out there?”

    “Honesty, that’s all,” questioner Fox answered, looking a bit frightened.

    Here.

    in

  • MagnumPhotos:

    Koudelka, published by Delpire, Paris, 2006.

    Here.

    in

  • Guardian:

    The elephant may have been in the room, but by the end of its stay it had lost its sheen. Tai, the 38-year-old painted pachyderm that was the centrepiece of the first major US show by the British graffiti artist Banksy, was scrubbed down on Sunday on the orders of the Los Angeles department of animal services.

    Here.

    in

  • Business Week, via ValleyWag:

    The man who, after Jobs, is most responsible for Apple’s amazing ability to dazzle and delight with its famous products, chose instead to talk about process — what he called “the craft of design.” He spoke passionately about his small team and how they work together. He talked about focusing on only what is important and limiting the number of projects. He spoke about having a deep understanding of how a product is made: its materials, its tooling, its purpose. Mostly, he focused on the need to care deeply about the work.

    …

    After graduating, Ive joined Grinyer in 1989 in a London startup, Tangerine Design. But he couldn’t get British companies to appreciate his work. When a company mothballed a bathroom sink he’d spent months working on, “he was dejected and depressed,” says Grinyer. “He had poured himself into working for people who really didn’t care.” Ive admits he wasn’t cut out to be a design consultant, where salesmanship is the most essential skill. “I was terrible at running a design business, and I really wanted to just focus on the craft of design,” he told Pearlman.

    Here.

    in

  • Onion Radio News:

    The sixth grader will eventually learn everything she needs to know about sexuality two to three years from now, when she’ll be given to a 60-year-old Mormon elder in Canada.

    mp3, Here.

    in

  • X-Arcade:

    The newest addition to Xgaming’s award-winning lineup remains faithful to it’s arcadian ancestry and injects the most complete and authentic home arcade gaming experience into your home.

    Here.

    in

  • BBC:

    Pablo Wendel, made up like an ancient warrior, jumped into a pit showcasing the 2,200-year-old pottery soldiers and stood motionless for several minutes.

    The 26-year-old was eventually spotted by police and removed from the scene.

    Unearthed in 1974, the statues are said to be one of the 20th Century’s greatest archaeological finds.

    Here.

    in

  • BBC:

    Mr Boks said he tried to withdraw permits for the elephant on grounds of public safety last Friday, but found the three-day exhibition would be over before they took effect.

    “Permits will not be issued for such frivolous abuse of animals in the future,” he said.

    Tai’s owner, Kari Johnson, denied that the 38-year-old Indian elephant had suffered as a result of the paint job.

    Here.

    in

  • Wired:

    The U.S. military in Iraq has imprisoned an Associated Press photographer for five months, accusing him of being a security threat but never filing charges or permitting a public hearing.

    Military officials said Bilal Hussein, an Iraqi citizen, was being held for “imperative reasons of security” under United Nations resolutions. AP executives said the news cooperative’s review of Hussein’s work did not find anything to indicate inappropriate contact with insurgents, and any evidence against him should be brought to the Iraqi criminal justice system.

    Hussein, 35, is a native of Fallujah who began work for the AP in September 2004. He photographed events in Fallujah and Ramadi until he was detained on April 12 of this year.

    Here.

    in

  • Addicteed:

    So I recently came across the “fuct facts” where it is made clear that Shepard Fairey aka OBEY has “borrowed” several designs and ideas from fuct, you have publicly addressed your opinion about him – What does Shepard have to say about all this? Has he/you ever tried to contact each other about this matter?

    I could care less about OBEY, or anything else they “borrow”. They all
    seem very unhappy all the time in that camp. They all need hugs.

    Here.

    ,
    in

  • BrightNights:

    FUCT printed this graphic on t-shirts titled “Mao-Now!” circa 1993.
    In response to a simple question that Erik had asked himself: “Who is the Lucifer of China ?” while brainstorming ideas for a logo that would faithfully represent Evil in Asia. Sure enough, genocide-genius Chairman Mao Zedong (pronounced Tse Tung) came up as contestant number one !

    OBEY printed a similar Mao graphic, a few years down the line. The Giant campaign was promoting cultural revolution by portraying a true visionary as an emblem of hope and world peace.

    Here.

    in

  • Ken Irby, Poynter:

    The Times has very clear guidelines in place that prohibit image manipulation without clear cause and disclosure:
    Photography and Images.
    Images in our pages that purport to depict reality must be genuine in every way. No people or objects may be added, rearranged, reversed, distorted or removed from a scene (except for the recognized practice of cropping to omit extraneous outer portions). Adjustments of color or gray scale should be limited to those minimally necessary for clear and accurate reproduction, analogous to the “burning” and “dodging” that formerly took place in darkroom processing of images. Pictures of news situations must not be posed. In the cases of collages, montages, portraits, fashion or home design illustrations, fanciful contrived situations and demonstrations of how a device is used, our intervention should be unmistakable to the reader, and unmistakably free of intent to deceive. Captions and credits should further acknowledge our intervention if the slightest doubt is possible. The design director, a masthead editor or the news desk should be consulted on doubtful cases or proposals for exceptions.
    Here.

    in